United
Nations Day is an opportunity for us to reemphasize the principles upon which
the United Nations was founded. The framers of the United Nations Charter
envisioned a world where nations live together in freedom, justice, and peace,
a world with universal and reciprocal respect for human rights and human
dignity.

The
United Nations General Assembly took a historic first step last year by
adopting reforms aimed at strengthening the organization's effectiveness and
efficiency. The ideals of the United Nations are important to the United States. We are committed to
working closely with other member states and with the Secretary General to see
that the reforms are faithfully implemented and to secure the organization's
future.

We
are pleased that reform efforts are extending to the specialized and technical
agencies of the United Nations. These agencies are not well-known, but do
affect us directly and on a daily basis. For instance, the Weather Watch of the
World Meteorological Organization helps us know when and where storms will hit
American cities. The International Maritime Organization and International
Civil Aviation Organization work for safety on the seas and in the skies for
American travelers. The Food and Agricultural Organization saves U.S. farmers, foresters, and
fishermen countless dollars in damage every year. The International Atomic
Energy Agency helps promote international cooperation and safeguards regarding
nuclear technology, and the World Health Organization
coordinates global efforts against AIDS.

One
of the youngest specialized agencies, the International Fund for Agricultural
Development (IFAD), was established to mobilize financial resources and make
them available for agricultural projects specifically designed to improve food
production systems in the poorest food-deficient regions of the world. In just
10 years, IFAD has financed more than 200 projects in developing countries
that, when fully implemented, will boost food production by more than 22
million tons a year.

Our
world -- every nation, every people, every individual
-- can know the blessings of peace and see the light of freedom and justice in
the future if we have the courage to build on the hope of the past -- the hope
upon which the United Nations was built.

Now,
Therefore, I, Ronald Reagan, President of the United States of
America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the
Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim Saturday,
October 24, 1987, as United Nations Day. I urge all Americans to acquaint
themselves with the activities and accomplishments of the United Nations. I
have appointed J. Willard Marriott, Jr., to serve as 1987 United States
Chairman for United Nations Day, and I welcome the role of the United Nations
Association of the United States of
America in working with him to celebrate this special
day.

In
Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this first day of October, in the
year of our Lord nineteen hundred and eighty-seven, and of the Independence of the United States of
America the two hundred and twelfth.

Ronald
Reagan

[Filed with the Office
of the Federal Register, 3:35 p.m., October 2, 1987]

Note: The proclamation
was released by the Office of the Press Secretary on October 2.